Hanne Gaby Odiele

Hanne Gaby Odiele, with her unusual face, her prominent forehead (recalling the beauties of the Middle Ages) and her evanescent morphology, has won over la crème de la crème of the top-model makers. This blonde Belgian creature, looking as if she just stepped out of a Jan van Eyck painting, fascinates and intrigues everyone in the world of fashion.

"Unusual" is the word that best describes her: her entry into the world of modeling, her beauty, and career path are all out of the ordinary. However, nothing predicted that Odiele, born in 1988, would become one day the face of Missoni.

While other adolescents hung posters of Kate Moss on their walls, Odiele knew almost nothing about fashion. The lanky tomboy preferred going to concerts with her brother or drawing to pass the time. However, her unusual physique did not escape the eyes of the talent scout who spotted her in 2005 in the crowd at the Nova Rock music festival (a heavy metal / hard rock festival in Austria).

The scout, stunned by this teenager, convinced her to do some test shots for Dominique Models. Odiele obliged, and changed her destiny: falling under the charm of her strange beauty, the agency decided to give her a chance and sent her to New York for fashion week. Once on American soil, Supreme Management took her under their wing and introduced her to Marc Jacobs and Rodarte.

Odiele, who until then was content to entertain her entourage with her sulky pout or her funny faces, realized that she knew absolutely nothing about walking in heels. She understood that she had to gain a little experience if she wanted to be more than just a flash in the pan.

Fortunately, she was a quick learner and her sense of humor made others forget her shaky beginnings, so much so that by the end of fashion week she found herself booked for a British and Italian Vogue shoots. Soon after, Odiele was seen in ads for Alberta Ferretti and Topshop. She was on the verge of conquering the world of fashion when a horrible accident brought everything to a screeching halt.

While home for Christmas, Odiele was the victim of a car accident that left her with several broken bones and bedridden for weeks, from which it took her a long time to heal.

This accident, which could have been the end of her career, only reinforced her desire to get back on stage. She realized that modeling was perfect for her and that she would not give it up for anything. Barely one year after her accident, the American wedding dress designer, Vera Wang, contacted her and she jumped at the opportunity.

In 2007, she modeled for Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu and Yves Saint Laurent. Since then, not one Parisian fashion week has passed without her.

Not content with monopolizing the catwalks, this slender blonde also caught the attention of the most famous photographers, e.g., Ryan McGinley, Terry Richardson et Steven Meisel, further solidifying her status as a bankable top model. Her career was launched into orbit when she became Balenciaga's icon, posing for the photographer David Sims.

Her sublime beauty, so extreme that she could have passed for an oddity, continues to intrigue the fashion world. Inès de la Fressange says that with her facial structure, Odiele could not have gone unnoticed, and Nathalie Rykiel declares to have found her Nordic glacial beauty incredibly chic.

Odiele may be as busy as Anna Wintour, yet she remains a young woman, barely adult, living life to the fullest. She who knew nothing of fashion now finds herself interested in Belgian designers (especially Dries Van Noten) and claims to have learned almost everything about clothes via the work of stylists like Carine Roitfeld, Camilla Nickerson and Marie-Amélie Sauvé.

She also declares that she loves to party with her New York friends (including Alexander Wang), checking out new musical tastes by going to concerts, and spending wild evenings on the roof of her building -- that is, when she is not hanging out at the very exclusive club, Beatrice Inn.

Despite her casual appearance, Odiele understands that without a professional attitude, she will not survive. Unsurprisingly, she revealed that her role model is the successful top model Raquel Zimmermann.

As for her look, since becoming Balenciaga's icon, she is always seen wearing at least one of the brand's accessories. Otherwise, her daily dress code consists of a mix of vintage pieces and rock-n-roll rags, often with a bit of purple. This mix is reflected in her Ipod, which includes tracks from Janis Joplin as well as Nirvana.

Regarding her beauty secrets, this Flemish android-like creature simply has good genes. Except for a bit of yoga and a glass of grapefruit juice here and there, Odiele does nothing special to maintain her glowing complexion and her sylph-like silhouette.